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HTC Hero. A little from column A, a little from column B

Martin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:18:02 +0000

We’re caught in two minds about the HTC Hero. Yes, it looks like it’s going to be a more than decent Android phone. And, as you probably know if you’ve read our previous rants about Android phones: we love them more than just about anything else out there at the moment. And yes, the new User Interface that they’re debuting on it, called Sense, is pretty decent. But there’s just something lacking, some final 5% that doesn’t quite seem to be there. It’s a little bulky, at nearly 15mm thick. The battery life isn’t that great, with HTC only able to promise a single day’s use for ‘heavy’ usage (i.e. using all the things they put on there). The camera’s not a killer.

But then it does have an awesome teflon coating and fingerprint resistant screen, meaning our chip fat oiled fingers can play around with it with confidence. It’s capacitive touchscreen is equally amazing, and the pushes-you-back-as-you-type onscreen keyboard is a work of genius, quite possibly the best keyboard we’ve seen on a touchscreen, in fact.

But then they’ve felt the need to suppress the Google-ness of the phone, removing all logos and direct access to firmware updates and Android Market (you can still access both, it’s just a bit more of a pain in the ass).

But the dedicated search button is fantastic.

But then most of what they’re shouting about with the new Sense UI has been seen before.

But but but… can you see the dilemma reader. Can you see how, with the HTC Hero, we can’t find our usual stride, we can’t rant in ecstatic joy or hell-like pain about anything it has to offer. But maybe that’s a good thing, right? Bah. Anyway, maybe you can make your own minds up via the official product overview, or using this handy HTC Hero review. No? Try this video on for size instead.

HTC Magic. Mmm, Google

Martin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:27 +0000

One of only three Android phones currently known about in any detail (the G1 for which this is the follow-up and the Samsung i7500 making up the others), the HTC Magic is out, ready and waiting for your Google-hungry fingers already.

For those who were familiar with the G1, the biggest difference between the two is actually an omission – the HTC Magic has no physical QWERTY keyboard, preferring instead to employ an on-screen version. And, we think that’s a mighty fine choice, because as much as people grumble about using on-screen keys, we think that it’s the kind of thing you get used to in no time at all. And, in the meantime, you can marvel about how the Magic is not only noticeably thinner (coming in at a modest 13.6mm), but also considerably lighter (just 116g with the battery in there). Aside from that, the Magic is also running the newer, 1.5 version of the Android OS (bizarrely codenamed Cupcake), so all your daily tasks and media fun will be zipping along all the more quickly and smoothly.

But even with all this Google goodness, it can’t be perfect, we hear you tentatively murmuring. And, you would indeed be right. Because although this HTC Official page might suggest everything is just so, we think that’s a little misleading. And why? Well, how about the fact that there’s no jack socket for your 3.5mm headphones. Not a huge deal in some people’s eyes, but is you’re a regular music listener / video watcher then that USB converter is going to be winding you up very quickly indeed. And secondly, 512MB of internal memory: seriously guys?! The i7500 comes with 8GB! What were you thinking… Anyway, that’s pretty much all that’s not so great, so if you’re Android-obsessed and you need you fix now (the i7500’s not out til August) then the Magic is the one for you. Check out this HTC Magic Review for a full rundown of all it’s got to offer.

The Mobile Phone that has Everything – The HTC Max 4G

admin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:32:42 +0000

The recently launched HTC Max 4G is an awesome phone which has everything any user could ever need and more. The phone is equipped with a 5 mega pixel camera for taking photos, GPS so you’ll always know where you are and how to get where you need to be, high speed internet for email and browsing and WiMAX which is the latest in WiFi technology. The phone literally has everything. I’ve also seen a lot of Max 4G reviews and it appears as though I’m not the only one who loves this phone and all it has to offer. Most of the reviews I’ve read have been very positive and I think this phone will do very well in terms of sales.
I’ve also noticed that the HTC Max 4G orange phone is the best available at the moment. However, if you want the HTC Max 4G on contract or on PAYG then I’d suggest you shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal. As we get closer to Christmas it’ll be easier for people to find deals they want and I’m sure you’ll notice a lot more offers on mobile phone contracts in general. I have to say I really like this phone and I can’t see anything wrong with it at all.
Overall, the HTC Max 4G is an amazing phone and I think it’ll be very popular with personal and business users. The phone is equipped with Pocket Office which is very handy for business users. I’ve seen a recent HTC Max 4G video which is definitely worth watching if you’re interested in this phone as it’ll give you a closer look into what the phone really has to offer and it’ll allow you to see the phone in action before you buy it – which is something I’d highly recommend.